Calvin Harris Beats Out Drake On Forbe’s List Of World’s Highest Paid Celebrities
Forbe’s loves a good list, especially when ranking individuals based on their income. That being said, who doesn’t. Each year the outlet breaks down industries with what talks – the money. They have just revealed their list of World’s Highest Paid Celebrities. Obviously, the top spots were taken by those one might expect – Floyd Mayweather, George Clooney, and Kylie Jenner took the top three spots all with 2018 earnings of well over $150 million.
Calvin Harris Outearned Drake
Only one electronic music producer cracked the Top 50. Of course, it is none other than Calvin Harris. The legendary producer has pulled down an insane $48 million so far in 2018. This again does not come as a surprise as Calvin has topped Forbe’s list of highest-earning DJs for several years in a row.
The list offered a few surprises, one of which being that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson took the #5 spot with $124 million. What really stood out to us was that Calvin outplaces Drake, even after the release of his album which broke streaming records easily upon its release.
I guess Pusha T did do some damage. Kiki do you love me? Maybe she does, just not as much as she loves Calvin.
Check out the full list here.
DJ Earnings Have Always Skewed Toward Touring
Calvin’s spot on this list is a good reminder of just how much of a DJ’s income comes from touring and festival residencies rather than streaming royalties alone. Even in an era dominated by conversations about streaming payouts, the real money for artists at Calvin’s level has consistently come from a packed touring calendar, brand partnerships, and increasingly, high-profile Las Vegas residencies, all of which he’d built out extensively by this point in his career.
Being the only electronic producer to crack a list this dominated by actors, athletes, and mainstream pop stars also says a lot about how far dance music’s commercial ceiling had risen by 2018. A decade earlier it would have been almost unthinkable for a DJ to out-earn an artist like Drake, and Calvin Harris cracking that list year after year reflected just how mainstream and lucrative the genre had become.
